Spring tooth combs



June 5, 1956 E. J. LACHANCE 2,748,783

SPRING TOOTH COMES Filed May a, 1955 INVENTOR. q. ERNE$T F. Lncumwa mMfg? w "or.

United States Patent SPRING TOOTH COMBS Ernest J. Lachance, Leominster,Mass. Application May 8, 1953, Serial No. 353,835

4 Claims. (Cl. 132-155) This invention relates to spring tooth combs ofthe type that have generally boat-shaped teeth with free ends, points ortips, relatively wide center portions, and narrower connected endportions forming the back of the comb, wherein the wider intermediateportions contact or substantially contact each other in order to providea gripping action on the hair between the individual boat-shaped teethas well as providing traps for holding the hair adjacent the roots ofthe teeth at the back of the comb.

The present invention relates to a new and improved comb of this typewhich is more easily and less expensively manufactured and assembled andwhich is provided with means for holding the teeth in substantiallypositive contacting relation, thus improving the gripping action of theteeth and of the comb and at the same time achieving this result by asimplified construction and method of manufacture.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a springtooth comb of the class described made in two parts, one of whichcomprises the teeth as above described and the connected roots of theteeth forming a comb element which is deeply grooved or recessed betweeneach tooth providing for extremely flexibility thereof, in combinationwith a recessed elongated troughlike comb back that is curved on an arc,the radius of which is generally normal to the plane of the comb, sothat the original connected teeth are curved along the same are and theindividual teeth are forced into firm springy contacting relationship atthe intermediate portions thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 isa view in front elevation of the comb, part being in section;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the comb;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the separate comb blank;

Fig. 4 is a partial view of the tooth blank as originally molded;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged edge view thereof, looking in the direction of thearrow 5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged edge view of the finished comb teeth;

Fig. 8 is a view of a blank molded on a different curve; and

Fig. 9 is a composite view illustrating different modificationscontemplated in the shape of the grooves between the teeth.

The teeth 10 are shown as in the form of elongated closed rims or thelike which when pressed give slightly, so that the teeth are per sespringy and are called spring teeth. The rims are generally madeboat-shaped as shown and each tooth has a relatively sharp point 12 anda wide intermediate portion at 14. These wide portions preferably toucheach other and form spring traps for ice hair tresses between them sothat the comb stays in the hair without being fastened. The teeth aremolded and itzleariy must be molded in spaced relation as shown in Ablank element 16 here connects all of the teeth 10 forming a unit andbetween the teeth this element is deeply recessed or grooved at 18rendering the unit resilient and bendable in planes at right angles toeach other. That is, the teeth 10 may be now easily moved in together incontacting relation from the spaced relation of Fig. 4, and the entiremolded unit can be curved from a flat planar condition into a curve onan arc having a radius normal to the plane of the unit. It is preferredthat a combination of these two curvatures be employed to achieve thecontacting relation between the teeth as shown in Figs. 1 and 7.

A more rigid comb back 20 in the form of a curved trough having closedends 22 is used to receive the comb blank element 16 and this devicebends the teeth into an arc, see Fig. 7, and exerts pressure on theends, to tend to close the recesses 18 and to force the teeth into thedesired contacting relation.

The blanks of Figs. 3 and 4 are molded, the comb blank elements 16 aremerely cemented into the backs 20, and the entire comb is thus easilyand inexpensively made.

The comb blank may be originally molded on an are as shown at 24 in Fig.8 wherein the teeth 11 do not touch and are radially arranged. The samecomb back 20 may be used to deform the blank in a different direction,i. e. the blank 24 may be straightened to appear as in Fig. 1, but thecurve shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is not necessary although it may of coursebe used.

Fig. 9 illustrates different formations for the recesses at the ridgesof the teeth and shows a keystone shape at 26, a circular closed openingat 28, a circular unclosed opening at 30, and a comb fiatwise, comingtogether at 32. These shapes are intended to be shown when the teeth arein their close contacting position as in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A spring tooth comb comprising a resilient blank, spaced teeththereon extending from an edge thereof, said blank having recesses inthe toothed edge thereof between the teeth, a rigid curved comb back toreceive and hold the blank in curved and more rigid condition, said backand said blank being of different curvature so that the blank assumesthe shape of the back and the teeth are constrained to touch.

2. A spring tooth comb comprising a resilient elongated blank, spacedspring teeth arranged thereon at one edge thereof in generalparallelism, said blank having recesses between the teeth so that theresilience of the blank is increased, a comb back, said blank and backbeing of different curvatures, said back receiving the blank and holdingthe same in conformance thereto with the teeth substantially touching.

3. A spring tooth comb comprising a resilient elongated toothed blankhaving relatively deep recesses therein between the teeth, the recessesextending generally parallel to the teeth and at the same side of theblank, a rigid, curved, trough-like comb back to receive the blank andsubstantially cover the recesses, the back forcing the blank to bend ona curve having a radius normal to the comb teeth and causing the teethto touch.

4. A spring tooth comb comprising a resilient elongated toothed blankhaving relatively deep recesses therein between the teeth, the recessesextending generally parallel to the teeth and at the same side of theblank, a rigid, curved, troughdike comb back to receive the blank andsubstantially covet the recesses, the hack forcing the Refetences Citc'din the file of this patent blank to bend on a curve having a radiusnormal to the UNITED STATES PATENTS comb teeth and causing the teeth totouch, the comb back having closed ends bearing on the ends of the comb377,769 Noyes 1888 blank 5 928,785 McLean July 20, 1909 2,316,335Huppert Apr. 13, 1943 2,463,894 Marini Mar. 8, 1949 2,523,924 SawyerSept. 26, 1950 2,559,940 Cartheuser July 10, 1951

